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INFORMATION ABOUT THE
CHURCH OF
SCIENTOLOGY
AND RECENT ISSUES
February
2010
by the Church of
Scientology Australia
ANNEX C
DESCRIPTION
OF THE SCIENTOLOGY RELIGION
The
Creed of the Church of Scientology was written by L. Ron Hubbard
shortly after the Church was formed in Los Angeles
on
February 18, 1954. After he issued this creed from
his office in Phoenix, Arizona, the Church of Scientology adopted it as
official because it succinctly states what Scientologists believe.
We
of the Church believe:
That all men of whatever race, colour or creed were created with equal
rights;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices
and their
performance;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own lives;
That all men have inalienable rights to their sanity;
That all men have inalienable rights to their own defense;
That all men have
inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own
organizations, churches and governments;
That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely,
to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write
upon the opinions of others;
That all men have inalienable rights to the creation of their own kind;
That the souls of men have the rights of men;
That the study of the mind and the healing of mentally caused ills
should not be
alienated from religion or condoned in nonreligious fields;
And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside
these rights, overtly or covertly.
And we of the Church believe:
That man is basically good;
That he is seeking to survive;
That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his
attainment of
brotherhood with the universe.
And we of the Church believe that the laws of God forbid man:
To destroy his own kind;
To destroy the sanity of another;
To destroy or enslave another’s soul;
To destroy or reduce the survival of one’s companions or
one’s group.
And we of the Church believe that the spirit can be saved and that the
spirit alone may save or heal the body.
DOCTRINE
OF THE SCIENTOLOGY RELIGION
While Scientology owes a spiritual debt to the Eastern faiths, it was
born in the West and its beliefs are expressed in the technical
language of the mid-Twentieth Century. Scientology adds to
these spiritual concepts, a precise and workable technology for
applying those concepts to life.
Scientology
religious doctrine includes certain fundamental truths.
Prime among them are that man is a spiritual being whose existence
spans more than one life and who is endowed with abilities well beyond
those which he normally considers he possesses. He is not only able to
solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting
happiness, but also to achieve new states of spiritual
awareness he may never have dreamed possible.
Scientology holds that man is basically good, and that his spiritual
salvation depends upon himself, his relationships with his fellows and
his attainment of brotherhood with the universe. In that regard,
Scientology is a religious philosophy in the most profound sense of the
word, for it is concerned with no less than the full rehabilitation of
man’s innate spiritual self—his capabilities, his
awareness, and his certainty of his own immortality.
And, in the wider arena, through the spiritual salvation of the
individual, Scientology seeks the ultimate transformation—"a
civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where
the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man
is free to rise to greater heights.”
In one form or another, all great religions have held the hope of
spiritual freedom—a condition free of material limitations
and suffering. Scientology offers a very practical approach to
attaining this spiritual aim. Of this, L. Ron Hubbard wrote:
“For countless ages a goal of religion has been the salvage
of the human spirit. Man has tried by many practices to find the
pathway to salvation. He has held the imperishable hope that someday in
some way he would be free.” Mr. Hubbard continued,
“And here, after these ages of grief and suffering, through
terrible wars and catastrophe, the hope still lives—and with
that hope, accomplishment.”
Thus, while the hope for such freedom is ancient, what Scientology is
doing to bring about that freedom is new. And the technologies with
which it can bring about a new state of being in man are likewise new.
An understanding of these beliefs will illustrate how Scientology fits
within the religious and spiritual traditions of the world.
DIANETICS
L. Ron Hubbard’s path to the founding of the Scientology
religion began with certain discoveries he made in his research into
the nature of man. He announced his findings in 1948 as
“Dianetics,” a word which means “through
the soul” or what the spirit is doing to the body. With
Dianetics, Mr. Hubbard discovered a previously unknown and harmful part
of the mind which contains recordings of past experiences of loss, pain
and unconsciousness in the form of mental image pictures. These
incidents of spiritual trauma are recorded along with all other
experiences of one’s life in sequential order on what
Scientologists call the time track.
The painful incidents recorded on this time track exist below a
person’s level of awareness and collectively accumulate to
make up what is called the reactive mind, the source of all travail,
unwanted fears, emotions, pains, and psychosomatic
illnesses—as distinct from the analytical mind, that portion
of the mind which thinks, observes data, remembers it and resolves
problems.
Dianetics provided a method to address the reactive mind by uncovering
this
previously unknown spiritual trauma and erasing its harmful effects on
an individual.
When this occurs, one has achieved a new state of spiritual awareness
called Clear.
One’s basic and fundamental spirituality, personality, his
artistry, personal force and individual character, his inherent
goodness and decency, are all restored.
While the Clear is analogous to the state of awareness in Buddhism call
the Bodhi, or enlightened one, the Clear is a permanent level of
spiritual awareness never attainable prior to Dianetics and Scientology.
THE
THETAN
For all that Dianetics
resolved, the actual nature of the spiritual being was still
A man is composed of three parts: A body, a mind and the individual
himself—the spiritual being or thetan. unknown,
even though it was apparent from the beginning that this was a question
which would one day need resolution. The breakthrough from Dianetics to
Scientology came in the autumn of 1951, after Mr. Hubbard observed many
people practicing Dianetics and found a commonality of experience and
phenomena which were of a profoundly spiritual nature—contact
with past-life experiences.
After carefully reviewing all relevant research data, Mr. Hubbard
isolated the answer: Man had been misled by the idea that he had a
soul. In fact, man is a spiritual being, who has a mind and a body. The
spirit is the source of all that is good, decent and creative
in the world: it is the individual being himself. With this
discovery, Mr. Hubbard founded the religion of Scientology, for he had
moved firmly into the field traditionally belonging to
religion—the realm of the human spirit.
Awareness of the human spirit has existed as a universal ingredient of
almost every religion in every culture. However, each defined the
spiritual essence of man differently. Terms such as
“spirit” and “soul” were
encumbered by centuries of various meanings. A new word was needed. Mr.
Hubbard adopted the Greek letter theta (θ), which he had
assigned in 1950 to represent the transcendent “life
force.” By adding an “n,” the word
“thetan” thus described the individual unit of
“life force"— the spiritual being—which
is the person.
THETA
AND MEST
In more general terms,
the term theta describes the life force which animates all living
things. This life force is separate from, but acts upon, the physical
In the Scientology view, as expressed in the Axioms and the
Factors, if there was a “spark” that brought a
first primeval brew
of chemicals to life, that spark was not the mest energy of electricity,
mindlessly contributing some “lucky” voltage, but
the volitional,
spiritual element of theta taking an elemental step in the creation and
conquest of mest. universe,
which consists of matter, energy, space and time (called
“MEST” in Scientology). Scientology is built on a
series of fundamental truths called the Axioms, which define theta and
MEST and describe how the two interrelate to form life as we know it.
The Axioms comprise the fundamental
elements of the beliefs of the Scientology religion.
First published in 1954, the Axioms of Scientology present this
doctrinal foundation with a definition of theta as a “life
static” which has no mass, no
wavelength, no location in space or in time. It has the ability to
influence and change its environment and achieve total knowingness.
CREATION
Scientology holds that it is the action of this non-material life
static, playing upon the kinetic of the physical universe, which
results in the manifestation of life. All living organisms are composed
of matter and energy existing in space and time, animated by theta.
To a Scientologist, life is thus neither accidental nor purposeless,
and the answers to questions of creation and evolution are found in
Scientology. Materialists have sought to explain life as a spontaneous
accident and evolution as a haphazard process of “natural
selection.” But these theories never ruled out that
additional factors may be merely using such processes as evolution.
Most of the world’s religions express some view of the
creation of the world.
Some religious traditions, such as Hindu and Buddhist, see the universe
as essentially eternal, without beginning or end in the stream of time
as we perceive it. The first books of the Bible contain an account of
the creation of the universe which some Christian faiths hold to be
allegorical and some hold to be an expression of literal fact.
Other religious traditions have other views, but each attempts to
explain this ultimate question of where we came from and how it
occurred. In Scientology, this view flows from the theory of theta
creating MEST; in fact, it could be said that the creation of the
universe is an inseparable part of that theory. The origins of theta
and the creation of the physical universe set forth in Scientology are
described in The Factors, written by Mr. Hubbard in 1954 (visit
www.bonafidescientology.org and search for “”The
Factors”)
In the Scientology view, as expressed in our Axioms and the Factors, if
there was a “spark” that brought a first primeval
brew of chemicals to life, that spark was not the MEST energy of
electricity, mindlessly contributing some “lucky”
voltage, but the volitional, spiritual element of theta taking an
elemental step in the creation and conquest of MEST.
Just as the combination of theta and MEST produces life, their
separation is
synonymous with death of the organism. The human body, like all life
forms, follows a cycle of birth, growth and survival, and ultimately
death. The thetan, however—the individualized
“unit” of life energy which is the
person—is not of the universe of matter, energy, space and
time and thus does not cease to exist when the body dies. It is
immortal.
As Mr. Hubbard observed, “A Scientologist, before he has gone
very far, begins to realize the nature of the universe. He realizes
this didn’t all just occur spontaneously one fine day out of
some scientific formula, and he realizes there must have been an Author
to all of these things. And he also realizes, oddly enough, in his own
participation.”
SPIRITUAL
ENTRAPMENT BY MEST
The creation and animation of life forms is part of the process by
which theta
accomplishes its goal in the physical universe, which is the conquest
of MEST—
expressed in some religions as a conflict between order and chaos. This
goal is made necessary by the fact that the physical
universe—MEST—tends to encumber the thetan and
cause it to act contrary to its true spiritual nature.
Although Scientologists hold that the immortal thetan is intrinsically
good,
Scientology posits that he has lost his spiritual identity and operates
at a small fraction of his natural ability. It is this loss of
spiritual identity that causes man to be unhappy or to act irrationally
and with evil intent, even though he is inherently good and highly
ethical.
This “fall from perfection” is not due to
Satan’s intervention or man’s natural evil
impulses, as Judeo-Christian-Muslim religious theology maintains.
Rather,
Scientology postulates that it is caused by the thetan’s own
experiences, whether in current or prior lives. As these experiences
accumulate over time, they cause the thetan to become enmeshed with the
material universe.
It is through Scientology’s central religious practices, as
described in Chapter III, that the thetan is able to extricate himself
from this entrapment. This is analogous to the concept of salvation
found in other religions.
SALVATION
Scientology’s path to spiritual salvation differs from that
taken by religions of the 
Judeo-Christian
tradition. In part, this is due to Mr. Hubbard’s discovery of
the
thetan’s immortality and its separateness from the mind and
the body. This fact aligns Scientology much more to Eastern traditions
of religious thought in many ways, including their concepts of
salvation.
Jews and Christians believe the soul lives only once, and Christians
believe that upon death the soul is resurrected as a spiritual body in
heaven or hell. Like the Buddhist, the Hindu, and even some early
Christians, Scientologists believe that the thetan assumes many bodies
through its repeated contacts with the physical universe.
Scientologists also believe that the thetan, and therefore man, is
basically good. In contrast, Jews and Christians follow the Old
Testament teaching that man has two intrinsic impulses—one
good and the other evil—that are constantly competing, just
as the perceived cosmic struggle between God and Satan.
According to this Judeo-Christian framework, man’s plight is
to overcome his evil
side. Jewish theology states he can do this by observing the finely
crafted rules of the Torah. Christian theology teaches he must, at
minimum, accept Christ’s resurrection as a matter of faith.
In either case, the promise of salvation is not realized until death.
Salvation in the Scientology religion is much different and much more
immediate.
In the tradition of certain Eastern religions, Scientology teaches that
salvation is attained through increasing one’s spiritual
awareness. The complete salvation of the thetan, called
“Total Freedom” in Scientology, is attainable
through the practice of Scientology religious services.
As one’s spiritual awareness grows through practicing
Scientology, so does his ability to determine his own answers and
solutions about life, the spirit and eternity, and to know them with
absolute certainty. Ultimately, the individual is aware of himself as a
spirit, independent of the flesh, and that he will survive with memory
and identity intact.
THE
EIGHT DYNAMICS
One fundamental and unifying factor that runs throughout
Scientology’s view of the universe is that the primary goal
of all life forms – including the thetan—is towards
infinite survival. The urge is so powerful and so universal that it is
known as the “dynamic principle of existence.” This
dynamic principle of existence is itself divided into eight distinct
parts, called the “eight dynamics,” each
representing one aspect of the survival dynamic. Viewed as concentric
circles expanding outward from a common centre, the eight dynamics
represent an increasing awareness of and participation in all of
life’s elements. These dynamics represent
Scientology’s view of the cosmos.
The first dynamic is SELF. This is the urge toward existence and
survival as an
individual,
to be an individual, and to attain the highest level of survival for the
longest possible time for self. Here we have individuality expressed
fully.
The second dynamic is FAMILY. This is the urge toward existence and  survival
through sex and the rearing of children. It stands for creativity, for
making things for the future, and it includes the family unit.
The third dynamic is GROUPS. This is the urge toward existence
and survival
through a group of individuals, with the group tending to take on a
life and existence of its own. A group can be a club, friends, a
community, a company, a social lodge, a state,
a nation, or even a race.
The fourth dynamic is SPECIES. This is the urge toward existence
and survival
through all mankind and as all mankind.
The fifth dynamic is LIFE FORMS. This is the urge toward existence and
survival as life forms and with the help of
life forms such as all animals, birds, insects, fish and vegetation, or
anything motivated by life. It is, in short, the effort to survive for
any and every form of life. It is the interest in life as such.
The sixth dynamic is PHYSICAL UNIVERSE. This is the urge
toward existence
and
survival of the
physical universe, by the physical
universe itself
and with the help of the physical universe and each one of its
component parts—matter, energy, space and time.
The seventh dynamic is SPIRITS. This is the urge toward existence
and survival
as spiritual beings or the urge for
life itself to survive. Anything spiritual, with or
without identity, would come under the heading of the seventh dynamic.
The seventh dynamic is the life source, or theta. This is separate from
the physical universe
and is the source of life itself. Thus, there is an effort for
the survival of theta as theta.
The eighth dynamic is the urge toward existence and survival as
INFINITY.
The
eighth dynamic also is commonly called God, the Supreme Being or
Creator, but it is correctly defined as infinity.
It actually embraces the “All-ness” of All.
Mr. Hubbard wrote about the interrelationship of the sixth, seventh and
eighth
dynamics:
“The theta universe is a postulated reality for which there
exists much evidence. If one were going to draw a diagram of this, it
would be a triangle with the Supreme Being at one corner, the MEST
universe at another and the theta universe at the third.
Too much evidence is forthcoming in research to permit us to overlo ok
this reality. Indeed, the assumption of this reality is solving some of
the major problems of the humanities....”
Because the fundamentals upon which Scientology rests embrace all
aspects of life, certain key principles which permeate the religion can
also be broadly employed to better any aspect of life. Moreover, the
principles greatly clarify what is so often confusing and bewildering.
And, through Scientology, a person realizes that his life and influence
extend far beyond himself. He becomes aware also of the necessity to
participate in a much broader spectrum.
By understanding each of these dynamics and their
relationship, one to the other, he is able to do so, and thus increase
survival on and participation in all these dynamics.
Thus, as a Scientologist expands his awareness, participation and
responsibility
outward along the dynamics, he will ultimately arrive at the eighth
dynamic, survival through Infinity, or the Supreme Being. That is why,
according to Mr. Hubbard, “When the seventh dynamic is
reached in its entirety, one will only then discover the true eighth
dynamic.”
SUPREME
BEING
There are probably at least as many concepts of the Supreme Being or
ultimate reality as there are religions. Christianity is monotheistic.
Hinduism is a polytheistic faith. Branches of Buddhism do not believe
in a Supreme Being in any form whatsoever. As many religious scholars
note, Scientology in this respect is more like Western religions and
shares their view that places the Supreme Being at the pinnacle of the
cosmos.
According to Mr. Hubbard, a man who does not share a belief in a
Supreme Being is not really a man. Mr. Hubbard wrote:
“No culture in the history of the world, save the thoroughly
depraved and expiring
ones, has failed to affirm the existence of a Supreme Being. It is an
empirical
observation that men without a strong and lasting faith in a Supreme
Being are less capable, less ethical and less valuable to themselves
and society. ... A man without an abiding faith is, by observation
alone, more a thing than a man.”
Many religions characterize the Supreme Being (whether called Yahweh,
God, Allah, or something else) in such terms as omnipotent, omniscient,
beneficent, judgmental, demanding, or attribute to the Supreme Being
other generally anthropomorphic qualities.
Scientology differs from these other religions in that it makes no
effort to describe the exact nature or character of God. In
Scientology, each individual is expected to reach his own personal
conclusions regarding all eight dynamics, including God, through the
practice of the religion. Thus, an individual’s understanding
as to his relationship with the Supreme Being is developed over time as
he comes to understand and participate more fully in each of the
preceding seven dynamics. This is a necessary approach, for in
Scientology no one is asked to accept anything on faith. Instead,
everyone is expected to test beliefs for themselves, on a purely
personal level. A belief—or knowledge—will be true
for someone only when that person actually observes it and determines
that it is true according to his own observation.
Thus, by following the Scientology religious path, one comes to a
relationship with the Supreme Being that is truly personal and
individual. In this regard, Scientology is in some respects similar to
those religions such as Unitarianism and other faiths which are wary of
providing dogmatic definitions or descriptions of God.
SCIENTOLOGY
ETHICS
Scientology shares the view of many religions that no person can be
spiritually free — or even successful in everyday
life—if he is only interested in himself, his first dynamic.
From a Scientology perspective, such a person would be considered to
have lost his native spiritual awareness of and responsibility for the
other seven dynamics.
As a person becomes more spiritually aware through Scientology, he
inevitably
experiences a reawakening of his own interests and responsibilities in
these other
areas of life. Thus, as one progresses in Scientology, one normally
develops a stronger sense of the importance of the family, and the need
to contribute to one’s community and take part in activities
that assist mankind as a whole.
Rather than accepting such duties as a burden, the Scientologist sees
responsibility on the eight dynamics as a natural and necessary
progression of his own spiritual growth.
Scientology teaches that one must always take these dynamics into
account in
deciding any course of action, even in seemingly mundane, day-to-day
matters.
Indeed, one of the cardinal pillars of Scientology thought and the
standard by which it encourages individuals to guide their conduct is
that the “optimum solution” for any problem is the
one that does the “greatest good for the greatest number of
dynamics.”
It is this interrelationship of the eight dynamics which provides the
foundation of
Scientology’s system of ethics. Indeed, in Scientology,
ethical conduct is defined as conduct which maximizes one’s
growth and participation along each of the dynamics, the most ethical
action being that action which enhances the survival and growth of all
dynamics, and the least ethical action being that which causes the most
destruction along the dynamics, with infinite gradations in between.
Good and evil are thus defined, and from them a system of right conduct
which enables an individual to maximize the survival of himself, his
family, community and society as a whole.
Ethics plays a large role in the life of a Scientologist, as these
beliefs govern conduct.
Having embraced a yardstick by which to gauge their conduct,
Scientologists strive to live honest, ethical lives, to better
conditions not only as far as their own lives are concerned, but for
their family, community, nation, and all of society. A Scientologist is
not following his religion if he is seeking only his own spiritual
enhancement. Thus, Scientology doctrine repeatedly emphasizes the need
for individuals to apply its religious wisdom to better the conditions
of their family, neighbours, their friends and society at large.
Scientology encourages its members to take the principles they have
learned through the practice of the religion and apply them to help
others to have a better life.
Moreover, according to Scientology doctrine, the individual bears a
responsibility for bettering the community as surely as he is
responsible for taking care of himself, for the Scientologist knows his
spiritual salvation depends on it.
UNDERSTANDING
LIFE
Because the ultimate goal of an immortal spiritual
being—infinite survival—can be attained only by
maximizing one’s participation along all eight dynamics, the
In Scientology the components of
understanding – an important part of
spiritual well-being—are viewed as a
triangle consisting of Affinity, Reality
and Communication, known as the ARC Triangle. question
arises as to how, then, an individual accomplishes this.
Scientology teaches that by increasing understanding along all eight
dynamics, the thetan can increase his participation and survival
potential. Scientology defines understanding as being composed of three
elements: affinity, reality and communication. These three
interdependent factors may be expressed as a
triangle and are examined at great length in Scientology Scripture.
Each element occupies a corner of the triangle, known as the ARC
triangle.
The first element is affinity, which is the degree of liking or
affection. It is the
emotional state of the individual, the feeling of love or liking for
something or
someone. The second element is called reality, which could be defined
as “that which appears to be.” At bottom, reality
is actually a form of agreement. What we agree to be real is real. The
third element is communication, the interchange of ideas. These three
concepts—affinity, reality and communication—are
the component parts of understanding. They are interdependent one upon
the other, and when one drops, the other two drop; when one rises, the
other two also rise.
Of the three elements, communication is by far the most important, and
a substantial portion of the Scientology Scriptures are devoted to the
understanding and application of communication.
An individual’s communication level is a primary index of his
spiritual state. To the
degree that a person is withdrawn, introverted or uncommunicative he
may have
many problems in life. Experience shows that many of these problems can
be
alleviated simply by knowing the various components of communication,
thus raising one’s ability to communicate.
In Scientology, as a person’s spiritual awareness increases,
his level of affinity, reality and communication—and thus his
understanding—expands. Indeed, Scientology teaches that when
a thetan has total affinity, reality and communication across all eight
dynamics, complete understanding of the entirety of life and full
spiritual awareness follow.
Thus it can be seen that the doctrines of Scientology address ultimate
concerns—the relationship of man as a spiritual being to all
aspects of life and the universe, and finally his salvation through a
route to higher states of spiritual existence. To fully appreciate the
depth and scope of the religion, it is necessary to gain some
understanding of the most important and unique aspect of Scientology.
THE
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF SCIENTOLOGY
While the goal of salvation—expressed in Scientology as Total
Freedom—is
common
to all religions, Scientology offers mankind a precise and practical
route to attaining it through personal revelation. This route, called
Scientology’s “Bridge to Total Freedom,”
follows a specific sequence of levels of spiritual awareness attained
as the Scientologist participates in the two central practices of the
religion – auditing and training.
he Scientology religion embodies a rich tradition of ceremonies, rites
and services. Yet the religious practices of auditing and training are
by far the most significant. They are the sine qua non of Scientology,
for they light the path to higher states of spiritual awareness and
ability and, eventually, to spiritual
salvation.
While Churches of Scientology hold congregational services to celebrate
religious
holidays, perform rites of passage and acknowledge other significant
dates and events, the essence of Scientology lies in the distinctive
methods by which its principles can be applied to the betterment of
individual lives.
AUDITING
The central religious practice of Scientology is auditing (from Latin
audire, “to
In auditing, the
Scientology minister or
auditor (on the left) applies the basic truths
of the Scientology religion to the parishioner
(on the right) toward the rehabilitation of
the human spirit. This is accomplished by
helping the individual examine his own
existence and improve his ability to face what he is and where he is.
The terms auditing and auditor come from the Latin audire,
“one who listens.” listen”),
which is a precise form of spiritual counselling between a Scientology
minister and a parishioner.
It is readily apparent that, in many respects, man’s efforts
fall short of the ideal of infinite spiritual survival. He has lost
sight of the Supreme Being, lost awareness of his own spiritual nature
and, in most cases, forgotten that life requires successful
participation in all eight dynamics. Rather than playing his
part in the conquest of the physical universe, he suffers failures, to
a greater or lesser degree, resulting in pain, unconsciousness and
unwillingness to face the challenge of existence.
In the course of an average life as man, the thetan is certain to
encounter many
experiences that can reduce his level of spiritual awareness. Over the
course of many lifetimes, he may entirely lose sight of his true
nature, and with that fall from spirituality, the level and quality of
his participation in all eight dynamics is
diminished.
Auditing reverses this decline. It enables the being to cast off the
spiritual chains that grow heavier from lifetime to
lifetime—the accumulation of his pains and
misfortunes, confusions and his own moral transgressions.
Just as these experiences bring about his fall from spiritual
awareness, trapping and enmeshing him in the material universe,
auditing provides the route to spiritual salvation by restoring the
thetan’s full awareness of his essential identity and
abilities.
The practice of auditing was developed from the understanding of the
fundamental laws of life contained in the Scientology Axioms. It is
based on the principle that only the truth can set one free, and it
enables the person to come to terms with the truth of his own
existence—past, present and future. Through auditing, the
person regains an understanding of and responsibility for his
relationship to all of life and the Supreme Being. With full spiritual
awareness and responsibility restored comes complete spiritual
freedom—Scientology’s spiritual salvation.
During auditing, a person can have many realizations about life. By
honestly looking at the factors which have inhibited his spiritual
growth, he is able to overcome them and experience a true spiritual
resurgence. When auditing is understood as a spiritual practice that
incorporates the theta-MEST theory and the concept of the eight
dynamics, it is apparent that increased spiritual awareness brings
about greater responsibility and participation as regards
one’s family, one’s group and all the other
dynamics, including the Supreme Being.
HOW
AN AUDITING SESSION IS CONDUCTED
In auditing, the minister, or auditor (“one who
listens”) asks the parishioner a series of specific questions
in the area of spiritual travail being addressed in that particular
session. Once the auditor locates the area of spiritual trauma, he will
ask further specific questions or give directions needed to help the
parishioner address and come to grips with that incident, experience or
area of life.
The minister does not offer any “advice” to the
parishioner. One of the essential
principles of Scientology is that an individual can advance spiritually
only if he is
allowed to find his own answers to life’s problems. This is
accomplished by helping
one to examine his own existence and improve his ability to face what
he is and where he is—peeling away the layers of experience
that have weighed so heavily upon him.
THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN AUDITING
The brilliance preceding great discoveries is often the insight which
posed the
right question—perhaps one so “obvious”
it never occurred to anyone to ask. Newton may have
“discovered” gravity only because he was the first
to question why all bodies fall to the Earth.
In a similar way, but in the spiritual realm, auditing leads to
personal revelation by
posing precise questions based on the Scientology cosmology. In seeking
for his
answer, the parishioner discovers intrinsic truths about life and the
underlying factors of existence which transcend the physical universe.
Yet there is another factor in auditing which is even more important:
the role of
communication itself.
Communication is indeed necessary to all aspects of life; but the
understanding of communication in Scientology goes far beyond any
ordinary concept of the
commonplace exchange of ideas in social intercourse.
One of the Axioms of Scientology, Axiom 28, presents the fundamental
principle of communication, and a substantial portion of Scientology
Scripture is devoted to its application in auditing. In fact, auditing
and spiritual salvation through Scientology practices only become
possible through the proper application of communication as defined in
Axiom 28.
Through communication, the auditor directs the parishioner’s
attention to confront aspects of his existence to find the answers to
auditing questions, erase the harmful mental and spiritual energy in
which the thetan is enmeshed, and thus experience relief from spiritual
travail.
This precise process of communication, as practiced in auditing, is
essential for one to come to a complete understanding of life. As
discussed in Chapter 2, understanding exists to the degree that one can
have affinity for something, can perceive or experience its reality,
and can communicate with it or about it. The precision of communication
in auditing therefore plays a direct role in raising a
person’s understanding and spiritual state.
HIGHER
STATES OF EXISTENCE
Auditing ranges from very simple and basic to more searching and
intensive
religious experiences as one participates in further and higher level
services. Auditing enables an individual to achieve the spiritual state
of Clear. In this state the individual is no longer trapped by the
prior traumas recorded on his time track and is capable of living a
rational, more spiritual existence.
Beyond Clear, one attains higher states of awareness called Operating
Thetan. In this spiritual state it is possible for the thetan to
possess complete spiritual ability, freedom, independence and serenity,
to be freed from the endless cycle of birth and death, and to have full
awareness and ability independent of the body.
The Advanced Levels of auditing employ a special auditing procedure
which the
individual conducts alone; the person acts as his own auditor,
alternately posing
precise questions and then seeking their answers. These levels deal
with the highest truths of existence. The ability to conduct
“solo” auditing presupposes a thorough and intimate
knowledge of all fundamental Axioms and principles of Scientology. The
Advanced Levels therefore appear at the very top of the Bridge to Total
Freedom and are open to those who have completed the lower training and
auditing levels necessary for full understanding of these advanced
procedures. These individuals are not only spiritually prepared but are
required to
meet high ethical standards.
SCIENTOLOGY
RELIGIOUS TRAINING
As described above, the Bridge to Total Freedom is a spiritual path
consisting of
An important practice of the Scientology
religion is the study of the works of L. Ron
Hubbard, which constitute the Scripture of
the religion. Studying these truths invariably
answers many questions the individual has
had about himself and his fellows and the
universe in which he finds himself. the
two complementary religious practices of auditing and training.
Participation in both is essential for the attainment of a complete
understanding of all life—all eight dynamics.
While auditing enables the individual to inspect and overcome spiritual
encumbrances and rise through a series of ascending levels of spiritual
awareness, training consists of the intensive study of the tenets of
the religion.
Study of the Axioms and fundamental truths contained in Scientology
Scripture leads to a complete understanding of man’s
spiritual nature—the relationship between thetan, mind and
body; the relationship between theta and MEST; and the precise means by
which a thetan becomes entrapped in the physical universe.
There is no part of life that Scientology training fails to
address—from the seemingly mundane to the highest truths of
existence. Studying these truths invariably answers many questions the
individual has had about himself, his fellows, and the universe in
which he finds himself. Training is thus a path of personal revelation
and an indispensable part of an individual’s personal
progress up the Bridge.
But training is also the route by which Scientology ministers acquire
the knowledge and
skill to conduct auditing. The Scripture studied in
training is organized into courses that align with the specific levels
of spiritual awareness through which auditing progresses. As the
minister completes each level in training, he acquires the knowledge
and exact skills required to conduct auditing up to that level.
And as Scientologists become more spiritually aware, they translate
this awareness into direct action to help others. Training enables the
Scientologist to do that in the most valuable way
possible—auditing others to help them achieve their own total
spiritual freedom.
Training materials contain all of Mr. Hubbard’s books and
other written materials,
tape-recorded lectures and technical training films that are necessary
to impart a
complete understanding of Scientology theory and technique.
Mr. Hubbard stressed that the disciplines of Scientology are just as
important as its Scripture, and thus training places great emphasis on
mastery of the skills of auditing. Most auditors use a special
electropsychometer—called an “E-meter"—to
assist them in helping parishioners address experiences which lie at
the root of spiritual travail. (Electro-psych-ometer, from
electrometer: a calibrated device used for measuring extremely low
voltages, and psyche: the human soul, spirit or mind.)
This religious instrument is vital because the mental image pictures
that harbor these experiences also hold very minute amounts of
electrical energy that can be detected with the E-meter. As this charge
varies or dissipates, the auditor knows the parishioner has
successfully addressed—and resolved—the source of
that aspect of his spiritual entrapment. Thus, while the E-meter by
itself does nothing, it is an invaluable guide for the auditor.
HOW
SCIENTOLOGY TRAINING IS CONDUCTED
Scientology training allows each individual to progress at his own
rate. Each course is organized around a checksheet—a list
laying out the books and scriptures to be studied, the practical
exercises to be completed, and the sequence in which these steps are to
be done.
There are no teachers in a Scientology course room. Instead, students
make their own progress through their checksheets, assisted by a Course
Supervisor.
The Supervisor does not lecture, or give his own rendition of
Scripture. However unintentional, such interpretations would inevitably
include alterations from the original. Instead, the Supervisor assists
the student to apply the study principles developed by L. Ron Hubbard,
so that he overcomes any misunderstanding and grasps the meaning
directly from the Scripture.
SCIENTOLOGY
CHURCH CEREMONIES
Scientology ministers perform many of the same types of ceremonies and
services
that ministers, rabbis and priests of other religions perform.
Each Sunday, the Church’s Chaplain, or another minister,
conducts a service for members of the Church, which is open to
nonmembers as well. At this service, the minister speaks about a topic
related to an important Scientology principle or
practice and discusses how it can be applied in daily life. A typical
Scientology sermon may address the simple fact that a person is a
spiritual being, certain of the Axioms of Scientology, or perhaps the
Creed of the Church
Scientology holds that man determines his own spiritual future through
his actions towards others as well as his observance of the rules of
conduct as expressed in the Creed of the Church. Consequently, the
Sunday sermon often encourages conduct constructive on all dynamics.
This message is presented within the framework of Scientology
Scripture, and its relevance to everyday life is explained. Thus, the
sermon may also be comforting and spiritually uplifting for
non-Scientologists, who are always welcome to attend.
On Fridays, church services are held to celebrate and acknowledge those
who have completed a church service in the preceding week. In addition,
Scientology congregations celebrate weddings and naming ceremonies for
the newborn (similar to christenings in the Christian church) with
their own formal ceremonies and mark the passing of their fellows with
funeral rites. These services draw on Scientology’s rich
scriptural material to convey the relevance of these significant
occasions from the special perspective of the beliefs of those involved
in the ceremony.
The Chaplain often conducts these ceremonies, although any ordained
Scientology minister is empowered to officiate. These services, which
address the spirit in accordance with the religion’s
teachings, impart a special quality to these occasions.
NAMING
CEREMONY
Although the Scientology naming ceremony for newborn children is
comparable to a christening, it expresses the Scientology belief that
the baby is a spiritual being who has lived before and will live again.
The minister introduces the child to his parents and godparents, tells
the child the name he has been given, and welcomes him to the
congregation.
Parents and godparents are reminded that their responsibilities include:
That he/she [the child] be given every chance to understand the rules
by which we play this game called Life, and further that we all here
present arrange within his scope the guidance and the knowledge that we
along our path already trod, have gained. Yet always remember this:
Young [child’s] life is HIS and, in the final account it is
for him to make the choice what path he choose; what game he play.
WEDDINGS
There are several different Scientology wedding ceremonies offering
varying degrees of formality. Generally, services are familiar in form
and appearance: a minister officiates, describes the responsibilities
of the union being created, and invites bride and groom to publicly
confirm their love for each other and to promise enduring honour and
faithfulness. Traditional wedding dress is usual, and bride and groom
normally exchange rings.
However, Scientology wedding ceremonies also draw upon scriptural
concepts to add spiritual significance. For example, in one traditional
ceremony the minister reminds all present of the concept of the ARC
triangle. The minister then invites bride and groom to imagine an ARC
triangle contained within the circle of the wedding rings they are
about to exchange. He then observes, “I should like to see
you make a pact between you that you will never close your eyes in
sleep on a broken triangle. Heal any breach with the reality of your
love through communication.”
FUNERAL
SERVICE
Similarly, the Scientology funeral service clearly recognizes that the
deceased has, as a spiritual being, moved on to assume a new life. The
service exhorts those in attendance to remember this fact, and to wish
the departed well in his new life.
CHAPLAIN
SERVICES
Scientology ministers have always acted to ease suffering and provide
succour and guidance to those in need or in distress, whether a member
of their congregation or simply someone in the community who may
require their help. In fact Scientology ministers traditionally have
seen their mission as easing temporal suffering, helping where help is
required and restoring dignity to men and women at pivotal points in
their lives.
Ministerial services are important for any religion, but for individual
Scientologists
they take on special significance: It is by helping others that
ministers help
accomplish the Scientology goal of making this world a better place for
everyone.
For example, if a couple are experiencing marital discord and find that
it is affecting their progress in auditing and training, they can turn
to the Chaplain to help them work through their difficulties. Chaplains
are trained in ministering Scientology marriage counselling, an exact
technology for alleviating marital problems that addresses the root of
all such difficulties: transgressions against the couple’s
previously agreed moral code which now inhibits their communication. Or
the Chaplain may help the young student suffering through his studies.
Chaplains may also help the ill or injured, or a teen who cannot get
along with his parents, identify, address and resolve the source of his
problems.
Possessing the knowledge of Scientology Scripture, the Chaplain is
well-equipped to counsel anyone through the trials and tribulations of
modern life.
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